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This appears as a completely hairless dog with dark greyish-blue or black skin whose almost comically ugly features shows the humbleness of their spirit. They are lean and compact with great agility and energy. They have large, alert ears and squinting slits for eyes that seem both wise and alert. Its snout holds only a few teeth, though those they do possess are of unusual sharpness.

Xoloitzcuintli is a canine of the gods, given as a gift to mankind to protect them from beings of the underworld and guide their souls when they die. They are simultaneously beast and deific, their mortal form living in flesh and blood while their spiritual form prowls the afterlife. As such their mortal form is alike to an avatar, though of the animal type despite their supernatural abilities.

A xolo weighs about 40 lbs and stands around two and a half feet tall at the shoulder.

Combat
A xoloitzcuintle is always alert of danger to the humans it watches over. It tends to bark ferociously, baring its razor teeth to drive off the intruder. If this is unsuccessful it leaps forward to bite and tear.

Divine Ranks: A xolo is considered to be a Rank 0 deity.

Guide of the Underworld (Ex): A xolo gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against the Undead and evil Outsiders. Likewise, they get a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures.

As well, a xolo's natural attacks are considered ghost touch weapons and if they bite a possessed (ghostly or demonic) being the spirit or demon takes half the damage.

Immortality: Xolos are naturally immortal and cannot die from natural causes. They do not age, and though they do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, they go into a comatose state if they would otherwise die from the lack. If their physical body is killed they reincarnate within the womb of a pregnant xolo.

Immunities: Xolos have the following immunities. These immunities do not apply if the attacker is a deity of 0 or higher rank.

Transmutation: A xolo is immune to polymorphing, petrification, or any other attack that alters its form.

Damage and Drain: A xolo is not subject to energy drain, ability drain, or ability damage.

Soothing Touch (Su): A xolo can use Cure Light wounds and heal 1d4 points of ability damage to any one ability once per day. As well, it may remove any ongoing pain and pain effects to those its attitude is Friendly towards, filling them with a warm, soothing sensation.

Spirit Senses (Ex): A xolo can use its scent ability to smell incorporeal creatures and can detect one possessed by ghost or fiend. As well it gains the benefits of the Blindfight, Hear the Unseen and Spirit Sense feat.

Skills: Xolos have a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks.
*Xolos have a +8 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent.

-=-=-=-=-=-

Sample Encounters

Good Boy (EL 5): A xolo is protecting an abandoned barn in the midst of a dead field and seeks to drive off anyone who approaches it. The reason for this could be one of two things.

#1. A demon-worshiping cult has taken to using it as a secluded area for performing their horrible rituals.
#2. The ghost of a wandering farm hand was hung in this barn for murdering the master of the house and has come back for revenge.

Howling at the Devil (EL 15): All the xolos in the area have come together to form a great feral pack, attacking any who ventures outside their doors. Several children have gone missing as well and are said to have been eaten by the pack. Unbeknownst to the adventurers is that nearly the entire town has become possessed by demons and the child sacrifice caused the dogs to rise up against them.

Guide of the Underworld (Ex): A xolo gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against the Undead and evil Outsiders. Likewise, they get a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures.

As well, a xolo's natural attacks are considered ghost touch weapons and if they bite a possessed (ghostly or demonic) being the spirit or demon takes half the damage.

Immortality: Xolos are naturally immortal and cannot die from natural causes. They do not age, and though they do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe, they go into a comatose state if they would otherwise die from the lack. If their physical body is killed they reincarnate within the womb of a pregnant xolo.

Immunities: Xolos have the following immunities. These immunities do not apply if the attacker is a deity of 0 or higher rank.

Transmutation: A xolo is immune to polymorphing, petrification, or any other attack that alters its form.

Damage and Drain: A xolo is not subject to energy drain, ability drain, or ability damage.

Soothing Touch (Su): A xolo can use Cure Light wounds and heal 1d4 points of ability damage to any one ability once per day. As well, it may remove any ongoing pain and pain effects to those its attitude is Friendly towards, filling them with a warm, soothing sensation.

Spirit Senses (Ex): A xolo can use its scent ability to smell incorporeal creatures and can detect one possessed by ghost or fiend. As well it gains the benefits of the Blindfight, Hear the Unseen and Spirit Sense feat.

Skills: Xolos have a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks.
*Xolos have a +8 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent.
________________________________________

Strategies and Tactics
A xoloitzcuintle is always alert of danger to the humans it watches over. It tends to bark ferociously, baring its razor teeth to drive off the intruder. If this is unsuccessful it leaps forward to bite and tear.

Sample Encounters

Good Boy (EL 5): A xolo is protecting an abandoned barn in the midst of a dead field and seeks to drive off anyone who approaches it. The reason for this could be one of two things.

#1. A demon-worshiping cult has taken to using it as a secluded area for performing their horrible rituals.
#2. The ghost of a wandering farm hand was hung in this barn for murdering the master of the house and has come back for revenge.

Howling at the Devil (EL 15): All the xolos in the area have come together to form a great feral pack, attacking any who ventures outside their doors. Several children have gone missing as well and are said to have been eaten by the pack. Unbeknownst to the adventurers is that nearly the entire town has become possessed by demons and the child sacrifice caused the dogs to rise up against them.

Ecology
Xoloitzcuintli is a canine of the gods, given as a gift to mankind to protect them from beings of the underworld and guide their souls when they die. They are simultaneously beast and deific, their mortal form living in flesh and blood while their spiritual form prowls the afterlife. As such their mortal form is alike to an avatar, though of the animal type despite their supernatural abilities.Environment: Xolos are found anywhere human beings are.Typical Physical Characteristics: A xolo appears as a completely hairless dog with dark greyish-blue or black skin whose almost comically ugly features shows the humbleness of their spirit. They are lean and compact with great agility and energy. They have large, alert ears and squinting slits for eyes that seem both wise and alert. Its snout holds only a few teeth, though those they do possess are of unusual sharpness.Alignment: A xolo has little understanding of good or evil, chaos or law except for basic instincts. As such they are always true neutral.

Xoloitzcuintle Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about xolos. When the character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (religion)DC - Result15 - This is a Xoloitzcuintle, said to be a dog of the gods. This reveals its animal type.20 - The xolo is said to be able to heal and remove pain. This reveals its soothing touch ability. 25 - The xolo was gifted to mankind to protect them from beings of the underworld and guide their souls when they die. This reveals its Guide of the Underworld and Spirit Senses abilities.30 - The xolo is said to have a tough of the deity to it. This reveals its divine ranks, immunities and immortality.

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

This is my entry into this year's UnCon Monster competition over on the Wizards website. Basically supposed to take a low-level MM monster and make it more powerful. So I chose... a dog.

Quite awesome.

It is inevitable, of course, that persons of epicurean refinement will in the course of eternity engage in dealings with those of... unsavory character. Record well any transactions made, and repay all favors promptly.. (Thanks to Gnomish Wanderer for the Toreador avatar! )

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

Believe it or not but this is 3rd ed. 3.75 to be exact. It's what all the monsters started using about a year before 4th ed came around. I don't like it much myself.

Yeah, Monster Manuals IV and V made me sad that way... -_-

It is inevitable, of course, that persons of epicurean refinement will in the course of eternity engage in dealings with those of... unsavory character. Record well any transactions made, and repay all favors promptly.. (Thanks to Gnomish Wanderer for the Toreador avatar! )

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

There was literally this little ole mexican grandma sticking puppies up her skirt

um... didn't need to know that one, champ.

And yes, it made me sad to see 3.75 formatting return for 4E. Of course, there were worse things in that particular MM...

Originally Posted by 4E Monster Manual

HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion

I had a BSOD on that... I believe my exact rant went along the lines of "So their one redeeming feature is that if you don't hit them, they don't die? They actually have to spell that out? Are there monsters that die regardless of what you do?"

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

Originally Posted by TheCountAlucard

Yeah, Monster Manuals IV and V made me sad that way... -_-

yep. i can't ever find anything i want in that formatting. i don't even use my mm4, and am never going to get the mm5, primarily for those reasons alone. even the fact that a good number of the monsters are just rehashes of other books doesn't phase me as much as the formatting.

incidentally, cool canid. i really like the idea of low-level semi-deities. makes for some awesome game flavor.

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Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

In found a few monsters in MM4 & MM5 that are worth using (more in 5 than in 4; its like the Star Trek movie curse, on for even-numbered books). I've actually taken to re-typing the ones I use in the old format.

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

Same. Not that I use too many, but it was cool that they made the Frostwind Virago... that particular HCA story doesn't get enough love. I'm wondering why Disney didn't cover it instead of going after...

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

Tribble, your dog is ugly. I mean seriously, that's a hideous dog in that image there. Makes me shudder both because it's ugly, and because it reminds me that there's actually a movie about chihuahuas out right now...which is terrifying all its own.

Anyhow.

The alignment seems a bit unmatched with the fluff and with its abilities. This definitely seems like a good-aligned creature:

It defends others, probably to its detriment

It can heal others

They're specially keyed to hurt undead and evil outsiders more

It can sense possession by ghosts and demons, and goes out of its way to drive out such possessing spirits (based on the EL 15 encounter)

I know that it's only got an Int of 2, but it seems like it's a creature born of good energies to begin with, and should accordingly still be a good creature.

Lemures, for example, have no intelligence yet are still Lawful Evil; dretches and vargouilles only have an Int of 5 yet are still evil, and any creature you apply the Fiendish or Half-Fiend templates to get a minimum Int of 3 but are (usually) considered evil.

It just seems like this should be good by virtue of its origins and intended purpose, regardless of whether or not it understands those origins and purpose.

Also: Apparently I'm the only person besides the WoTC guy(s) who designed it who doesn't hate the "3.75" method of stat blocks. I'm more used to the old ones, sure, and will keep using them because I know them...but there's definitely some ways that this stat block is an improvement. For starters, I think it's a bit more accessible; it doesn't look like such a wall of text.

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

Originally Posted by Magnor Criol

Apparently I'm the only person besides the WoTC guy(s) who designed it who doesn't hate the "3.75" method of stat blocks. I'm more used to the old ones, sure, and will keep using them because I know them...but there's definitely some ways that this stat block is an improvement. For starters, I think it's a bit more accessible; it doesn't look like such a wall of text.

I, like most people, didn't consider it to be a problem to begin with, & only thought about it when they made it an issue by "fixing" it. If it ain't broke, go fix something that is, like epic spellcasting or the Truenamer.

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

Originally Posted by Zeta Kai

I, like most people, didn't consider it to be a problem to begin with, & only thought about it when they made it an issue by "fixing" it. If it ain't broke, go fix something that is, like epic spellcasting or the Truenamer.

Muchly agreed there. There's plenty of things that should be tweaked up before the stat block that works fine. Many things that could be called "problems" with the 3.5 stat block really are problems with the mechanics the blocks represent.

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

Originally Posted by afroakuma

I had a BSOD on that... I believe my exact rant went along the lines of "So their one redeeming feature is that if you don't hit them, they don't die? They actually have to spell that out? Are there monsters that die regardless of what you do?"

Some powers in 4e still deal (drastically reduced) damage if they miss. This protects minions from getting sure-killed by someone using a power like that.

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

Originally Posted by Magnor Criol

Tribble, your dog is ugly. I mean seriously, that's a hideous dog in that image there. Makes me shudder both because it's ugly, and because it reminds me that there's actually a movie about chihuahuas out right now...which is terrifying all its own.

You mean you don't look at that pic and have the incredible urge to rub yourself down with it?

And, eh, I might make it Good aligned. Was thinking more along the lines of the deity that sent it is good and so it acts that way, but dretches are a good example of the opposite of that.

For starters, I think it's a bit more accessible; it doesn't look like such a wall of text.

I like the way it's organized better, I think. Grouping things like all the senses together at the top, then there's sort of a 'defensive' section, then an 'offensive' section, then the skills and abilities - it just groups things in a bit easier-to-quickly-access way, I think, which is better for the flow of the game (less time spent looking at whether or not that last attack hit or what its save is).

But if you're incredibly accustomed to the older style, (as someone as prolific a homebrewer as you would be) that's a nonissue; once someone knows it well enough, there's no time spent searching, you know precisely where to look.

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

I like the later MMs' format for one reason... CR at the top in bold. It just makes browsing easier when you immediately know the general power level of the thing you're looking at. Granted, CR isn't fully reliable, but ehh, it's something.

Re: [Creature] Chewing on the bones...

Originally Posted by Ascension

I like the later MMs' format for one reason... CR at the top in bold. It just makes browsing easier when you immediately know the general power level of the thing you're looking at. Granted, CR isn't fully reliable, but ehh, it's something.

I'd be quite willing to instead of adopting a new format stick the CR up top and leave the rest.